Berberis...

Hello all

My name is Mário, i´m 32 and i´m from Portugal.
This is a Berberis that i bought last Summer by 4€ in a big gardening store.
When i bought it, he was about 1,5m high with lots of branches. I immediatly fell in love with the bark and the Nebari of the tree.
Altought it is not recomendable, i gave it a radical pruning and repoted the tree last August. It gave no more life sign last year and i even thought it was dead.

For my big surprise, the tree recovered and it is showing lots of new growth.
This year i´m letting it grow freely until leaf fall in Autumn, then i will give it a good Prune and start working on the branch structure.

I really havent decided what to do with it. Any sugestions?

Possible front 1


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Possible front 2


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Possible front 3


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Greetings
Mário

PS: I really dont like the pot it is just temporary, i´m thinking something more shallow and round.
PS2 : My English is not the best. Sorry

Your English is fine. I find it hard to separate the tree from its background in thes pictures, though. Perhaps you cold move it to a simpler, plain background and try again?

Hello Jim

You,re right, the photo is not the best and you´re distracted by the background.

I´ll try to take some better pictures.

Greetings
Mário

In your last photo, the branch on the right seems to be very straight compared to the rest of the tree.

It will be easier to see when the tree has lost its leaves, but maybe you could chop this one and only keep the one on the left for a slanting tree.

This is a very interesting specimen, I'm sure you can make a very nice bonsai with this one. Many problems to think about, but that's the interesting part of the work, isn't it?

Less distracting photos:



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My opion i would use #5 picture in the clear pictures you posted last..you really have a good root base on that tree.. some pruning to open it up and it will be a nice tree...good luck and post a picture or 2 when you do the work...john

Hello all

Update on this Berberis.
It was prunned to reduce height last winter and repotted in an Erin poterry pot.
This pot was not actually for this tree, but due to a gnarly root system that this tree has, this was the only pot i got that suited the tree.
Again itt´s going to grow free this year.





Greetings
Mário

Hello all

The tree was trimmed yesterday.
Some of the shoots were almost the double of the tree´s height.
I think it´s early enought to trust on another flush of good growth this year.

After 3 years of training the tree is starting to look like a Bonsai.

Greetings
Mário

Hello Liserd,
Glad to see you arround here, presenting such lovely material, keep the good work up, *fica bem*

I like the way it looks in that pot...nice combo